YaYa's POV - part 1/2

Muir landed smoothly in the manor’s courtyard, and the moment my feet touched the ground, Skaris was there, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around.

"Dear," he whispered in relief, "Welcome back, did everything go well?"

“Yes,” I replied as his hand moved to the edge of my mask with the confidence of someone who had memorized every curve, every contour of me with his touch.

His fingertips brushed my cheek, and his lips met mine in a kiss, expressing how much he’d missed me. When he finally pulled away, it was only after a low, reluctant exhale, his breath warm against my lips, as if he still wasn’t ready to let me go.

Still holding me close, Skaris turned his head toward Mitchell, his blindfolded face shifting with a smile. “I missed you, Papa Mitche. Welcome back.” Then he tilted his head in Muir’s direction, his tone softening further. “How was the flight? Aren't you tired?”

Muir shook his head, "It's alright. We used the canal."

Chris fidgeted nearby, her eyes darting between us. Though Skaris's eyes were hidden, his aura shifted, unapproachable, radiating a cold and dangerous energy.

“Mother, this is Skaris. Skaris, meet my mother, Chris,” Mitchell said, gesturing toward him lazily. “Yeah, he looks like he eats females for breakfast, but don’t worry ─ he won't touch anyone besides Yaya.”

Skaris's wolf ears perked up, and he turned toward Chris, sniffing the air around her, "Mama in law, welcome," he said. He couldn't see females unless he had to, and when he had to, he didn't want to.

Chris gave him a hesitant smile, her nervousness fading a bit, "Thank you.”

Vick walked out of the building and made his way toward us, "You are back, that's good. Come, Precious. You must be exhausted. Let me take you to our room."

I dodged him, and he nearly stumbled. His arm reached out to me, trying to grab me, but I slipped from his grasp and took a step back. No quickies in the hallways or bathrooms or kitchens or gardens or anywhere else in front of Mom.

"Mother, this is Vick. Vick, this is my mother, Chris," Mitchell said, stepping smoothly in front of Vick to stop him from chasing after me. He paused, his smirk faltering just slightly as he added, “This male is the real deal. So, uh, be nice to him. Or don’t.” He crossed his arms, trying to salvage his pride. “Not that I’m scared or anything. I’m just…telling you to be cautious.”

Vick's expression was blank for a moment before his face twisted in a wide grin. He turned around and walked toward Chris, and her expression paled a bit when his smile widened, "A pleasure to meet you, mother-in-law."

Chris nodded hesitantly, her hand reaching behind her, trying to take a hold of Mitchell, “H-hello, It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

All my males looked intimidating and dangerous, so her fear was justified. She trusted Muir because he was from the eagle race and his reputation made him put on a facade. Mitchell was her son, so his presence was a little reassuring, but the rest of them...

Wasn't there anyone who didn't ooze danger from every pore of their body? Someone genuinely friendly and gentle?

I tapped into Romeo's spousal imprint, and a warm feeling settled inside me in response. He was over three thousand years old, so his mental shields were flawless. He was calm, relaxed, even in the middle of a fight. I felt a strain on his body, and realized he was working out.

He knew I was sneaking in, and sent a reply, adjusting his pants, and letting me feel the reaction I was causing. This was not the time, and not the place, so I withdrew strategically, “We’re here to check on our Peas,” I said, steadying my voice. “After that, we’ll accompany Chris to her new home.”

“If you don’t carve out your own space, you won’t hold up here, mother,” Mitchell said to Chris, his tone casual but with an edge to it, “Don’t think our female’s fondness means you’re entitled to anything from the rest of us. We tolerate you for her sake ─ nothing more. If you start acting like you’re owed something, you’ll find out just how little her approval means to the rest of us.”

Chris shook her head, "When all my males failed me, it was my children who saved me and gave me hope. I want to be a mother for all the times I failed to be one…even if it’s too late. Even if you don’t need me anymore.”

Mitchell didn’t flinch. Not a single muscle in his face betrayed even a flicker of sympathy as Chris spoke. His eyes, dark, remained fixed on her, but they didn’t soften, “What do mothers even do for their children besides giving birth to them? Are you going to treat us like Darling treats our Peas?”

Chris blinked in surprise, her eyes darting between Mitchell, Vick, Muir and Skaris, "Isn't giving birth and appreciating your child's existence enough? What more can I do?"

Vick smiled, his teeth a flash of white, a predator showing its fangs, "You can start with helping us out with the Cloud Nine's businesses. Help us make money and grow, and we will share part of the profits with you. It's a family business, so not just any outsider is allowed. It will be a great way for us to evaluate your value and intentions."

Chris stared at him, her face turning pale, "I've never worked in my life before."

"You just need to uphold our values and reputation during our absence. The employees are well trained and will handle the day-to-day work. All you need to do is act as a figurehead when some guests try to overstep their boundaries and cause trouble."

He continued, "Bloodshed is not a good look. Our clients don't want to feel threatened, but we also need to uphold our position, and the reputation that the Cloud Nine has been built upon. Can you do it? It's my only condition for allowing you to live in our territory."

"Of course. I can do it. I will do anything to live in this place," Chris agreed quickly, "I've never seen such a beautiful place, where you can roam free without having to worry about your safety. I hated being stuck inside and waiting for a male brave enough to take me out. That’s why I fell for Saint Zachary and allowed him to take me away without any protest. He wasn’t afraid to bring me outside and show me the world."

"Coo-OO-oo-Kraa-Aa-aa," various sounds came from inside the manor, interrupting their deal. It was like a chorus effect, the sound repeated over and over.

It didn't take me long to realize that it was my Chill Pea, leading his band of birds, using them as a megaphone to pass on his words.

Chill Pea had to be fed at the exact same time every day. He wouldn't cry himself. Instead, he would call for the birds outside to cry for him, and their cries would continue until either he got food, or the whole forest cried along with him to bring him some.

It shouldn't be his feeding time yet, so I looked up at Muir, asking him to translate.

"..." Muir translated, "Papa Muir, Papa Skaris, Papa Bart, Papa Vick, Little Pea found a way to open our enclosures. All the peas escaped."

"..."

"..."

"Kraa-AA-aa," the sounds came again, louder this time.

"..." I didn't know whether I should be impressed or horrified. The babies were supposed to be learning how to shift and not how to pick locks and sneak around.

Vick was trying not to show it, but the slight curve on his lips was giving him away. "He has my skills, no doubt about it," he said and we all rushed to witness their prison break.

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

When we reached the nursery, the doors to their enclosed cribs were hanging and a bunch of tools scattered around the floor.

There was only one cub left.

Chill Pea, the most responsible of the bunch, was chilling inside his open enclosure, his expression serious. He could stay still for hours without getting bored or fussy. The problem was his brothers, the rowdy and troublesome ones.

Muir, who appeared ahead of me and Chris, picked up Chill Pea by the wings on his sleeveless onesie, holding him above my head. Chill Pea's body dangled in the air, and his little hands grabbed his feet.

Meanwhile, the rest of my boys scrambled outside, on the hunt for our little prison breakers.

"Why didn't you go with your brothers? Do you not want to explore?" I asked.

"Puh," the baby wiggled, rotating his body around and around like a disco ball, "Pa."

"You didn't want to miss your breakfast and go hungry?" Muir translated.

"Puh," Chill Pea continued rotating his body, his eyes following the walls as they moved in front of him. Muir put him back into his crib, and he stopped spinning, falling on his back with his limbs sprawled, looking drunk.

Chris squealed in cuteness, reaching out to grab Chill Pea's little fingers, “He is so adorable." When she smiled at him, he looked back at her, his little gaze sharp. She gasped in surprise, then giggled when he pulled his finger out of her grasp and reached toward me, his hand making grabby motions, “Do you want to play with your mama instead?"

“Puh.”

"It's time to measure your weight, right?" I said with a smile, laying my hands down beside him. He plopped his body onto my palms as if it was a serious military operation.

His body was heavier than I expected, and a chuckle left my mouth as I lifted him to my eye level, "Look how big you have grown in only three days. You'll be able to carry mama on your back  soon."

Chill Pea tried to make himself a bit heavier, puffing his cheeks as if that would work to make him look bigger, receiving another adoring squeal from Chris.

Instead of learning how to crawl and walk first, Chill Pea decided to learn how to fly first. He knew falling would hurt him, but not with mama here, so he just went ahead and dropped out of my hands as if gravity wasn't a thing. I moved my palms under him like a sledge, and the cub fell through them, landing on the floor safely.

"That's the most reckless cub I have ever seen," Chris commented in surprise when he dropped on my palm as if ready for the second round, "He has no sense of danger, no hesitation, no fear."

"..." Muir picked him up and threw him into the air. Little Pea's arms shifted into wings, flipping them rapidly, his body gaining elevation, circling in the air in his beast form, "Puh-uh," he chirped and shifted back for me to catch him.

"Woah," I caught him and his onesie, his body a bit hot from the rapid shifting, "You can fully shift already?"

"Puh," he nodded seriously, and his body grew hotter. A second later, a full sized eagle was flapping his wings in my hands.
Not an eaglet, an eagle. His beast form was ready to fend for himself in the wild, but his human form still looked like a two months old baby, which explained why most beastmen couldn't shift until reaching adulthood.

"He was in his beast form when I arrived," Muir said, a slight smile lingering on his lips.

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Part 2/2
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

It made sense for the beastmen 's human side to only emerge when they were mature and desirable enough for their future mate. After all, nobody would even glance their way, let alone consider mating with a child who could barely take care of itself, much less provide for or protect a family.

Are you telling me that our cubs that looked like adults and helped out their Papas with their territories would appear like five year olds, or even younger, in their human forms?

That's why Bart kept them occupied with workloads, and kept their limbs and minds busy, so that they didn't have the time to think about things like mating?

In the wild, where every day was a struggle, there was no room to get hung up on love or romance, it only happened when you became able to fight or hunt or provide for your future female.

The eagle's body heated again, and a human child appeared in my hands, his eyes bright and intelligent.

"Slow down. Slow down. Your mama's heart can't take this," I muttered playfully, “Too fast. Way too fast. My Chill Pea is growing way too fast.”

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

Skaris, Mitchell and Vick returned, carrying two peas each.

Chris and I gasped when we saw the state they were in. They were all dirty, their onesies torn and hair tousled.

Little Pea, my 5-month-old, was squirming like a wet noodle in Vick's hold, his tentacle-legs flailing like he was trying to swim through the air. He was the cleanest of the bunch, and also in the best condition.

Cheeky Pea, the 4-month-old wolf pup, had leaves stuck in his hair, his little hands kept batting at his ears, which flopped down like the saddest little wet socks.

Sweet Pea, his 3-month-old wolf sibling, was even worse—his hair was matted with dirt and branches. His tiny chest puffed out as he let out the most pitiful little howl. His tail, usually a happy wagging blur, hung limp behind him.

Then there was Glow Pea, the 3.5-month-old, who usually shimmered like a tiny sea star but now looked like a mud fairy, his glow barely peeking through the grime. Cradled in Vicks’ other arm, he blinked up at us with the most pitiful expression, like he was questioning all his life choices.

Cherry Pea, the 1.5-month-old, wriggled miserably in Mitchell’s arms, his tiny forked tongue darted out, licking at his arms as if trying to comfort himself.

And Peanut, the 1-month-old scorpion-tailed menace, had his onesie hanging off him like a rag. He had a single ant clinging to his forehead, but was too busy bawling his eyes out to notice it.

“What happened?!” I screeched.

"They went to dig a tunnel, and dug right into an ant's nest," Skaris answered.

"Ants?!" I panicked, "We should put them in a bath right away, or their skin will start to swell."

The three males looked down at their peas with little red bite marks and shrugged.

"Let them learn from their mistakes," Vick replied, not seeming concerned, "They'll know better to stick their heads into unknown holes next time."

"Deep breaths," Muir put his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down as I flipped my hands in their direction.

"They're swelling. Their skin is swollen and red and they are scratching them like crazy," I pointed at the six whimpering peas, "Do you even know how painful ant bites are?"

"I do," Skaris nodded, "And there was nobody to help me. I was all alone and scared and in pain. But you know what I did? I kept on moving. I crawled until I got to the water and washed myself. Then I hid in a tree and licked my wounds clean. It was dark and cold and scary, but I did not stop, and eventually, the pain faded away."

I slumped my shoulders, looking at their puffed up, swollen skin and the tears on their faces. The pain must have been so intense that they shifted back and forth between their beast and human forms, trying to escape their Papas' grasps.

Their Papas placed them down and the six of them crawled and limped their way to me, climbing up and grabbing my clothes, their whimpers turning into pitiful sobs.

Mama. Mama. It hurts. It hurts. Make it stop. They howled and whined, their cries so pitiful that my heart twisted in agony.

I crouched and gathered them up inside the large basket and dashed toward the bathroom.

"Dear, you are slowing down their growth," Skaris said as he followed behind, “You are making their life easy and safe, but it’s doing more harm than good.”

"But they look so vulnerable and innocent," Chris muttered in my defense, face pale as she tried to catch up, "I didn't know that male cubs' human forms looked so young and defenseless. Their beast forms grow so quickly that you think they are already grown up and capable of handling themselves on their own."

I placed the basket inside the bathtub, flipping the tap and filling the tub with cold water. I tilted the basket and the peas slid out into the tub, the water cooling their swollen and itchy skin.

"No more than that," Vick stopped me from reaching over the cabinet for the soothing gel. "They need to grow a thicker skin, otherwise, the moment they set foot outside, the first thing that would eat them would be the ants. There's no place for weakness in the wild."

"They can always learn later," I argued. 

"You'll just say that again next time. The younger they are, the easier they adapt. They'll be fine.”

"..." I looked at their faces, knowing full well I promised not to interfere with their kids' raising methods, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I stuck out my bottom lip, widened my eyes to maximum tragic levels, and tilted my head to engage my puppy mode. Their brows twitched. I cranked it up a notch, blinking dramatically. "Please?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Chris joined me, copying my expression, "Please?"

"..."

The six Peas looked up at them, eyes wide and shimmering with maximum cuteness, unleashing their own devastating puppy faces─tiny pouts, wobbly chins, and the kind of innocent blinks that could bring even the toughest soul to their knees.

"..."

"Fine, but just this once," Vick finally relented when Skaris, Muir and Mitchell nodded at him, "Next time, they're dealing with their injuries by themselves."

I grabbed the bottle and opened the lid, poured some on Chris's hand, and asked her gently to rub the gel on their skin. An extra hand was helpful when you needed to treat six kids at once.

"So cute," Chris sighed as the Peas leaned into her touch, purring happily, "My grandchildren are the cutest."

I scooped a bit with a spatula and spread the gel on their skin, making them relax further, "This is your Grandma Chris. Say hi, and thank her for the gel."

The peas played in the water, splashing and chasing each other, then looked up at their grandma, chirping in unison.

Chris melted into a pile of goo at the sight. She sighed dreamily, scooping Peanut into her arms, and snuggling him close, "Aw, look at this adorable little guy, so plump and soft. Don't worry, Grandma will help you get rid of those nasty bites."

Muir left us to look after the babies while he rushed toward the nursery before Chill Pea's hunger could summon the whole forest before our doorstep.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Some snu snu next? 😏
They are super babies, so their growth is even faster then the regular beastmen's. 🤣

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